By Express-Dr Azeem Ibrahim OBE - Mon, Jan 6, 2025 |

This is the one reason we're in this awful mess.

The United Kingdom is increasingly being rocked by a string of scandals that expose the alarming breakdown of the state’s basic functions. From the botched handling of COVID-19 contracts to the infected blood scandal and the Grenfell Tower fire, one common thread unites these crises: unelected bureaucrats at their heart. Shielded from accountability by a system designed to protect the status quo, these faceless officials wield immense power with little oversight.

Unlike politicians, who can be voted out of office and face public scrutiny, these bureaucrats often escape the consequences of their failures, routinely failing upwards into promotions or being quietly reassigned to equally influential positions.

Consider the ongoing scandal of grooming gangs, better described as organized child rape gangs, which have operated in dozens of towns and cities across the UK. These atrocities unfolded in plain sight, enabled by a system that utterly failed the victims and their families.

Parents who sought to rescue their daughters from traffickers were sometimes arrested themselves, along with the victims, for being "drunk and disorderly". The police, social workers, and other officials who turned a blind eye to these horrors have faced little to no accountability. Who were the decision-makers who allowed this to happen? Their identities remain largely unknown.

The scale of this failure is almost incomprehensible, and the lack of accountability is a national disgrace. Public inquiries may provide a veneer of action, but they rarely lead to substantive change. Instead, they serve as lucrative opportunities for lawyers while leaving victims and their families without justice. This culture of impunity sends a clear message: those in power can fail without consequence.

The Post Office scandal is another glaring example of systemic failure. Innocent postmasters were falsely accused of theft due to faulty accounting software, leading to wrongful convictions, financial ruin, and even suicides. It is one of the most egregious miscarriages of justice in modern British history. Yet, the architects of this disaster have faced little more than public shaming. Most moved on to other high-profile roles or retired comfortably.

If not for relentless media coverage, the public might never have learned the identities of those responsible. And even with this exposure, how many of them are behind bars today? None.

Instead, they’ve been rewarded with honors and cushy positions elsewhere. Compare this to the United States, where such a scandal would almost certainly result in criminal prosecutions and massive class-action lawsuits. Victims would see perpetrators publicly arrested and forced to answer for their actions in court.

The UK’s reliance on public inquiries as a mechanism for accountability is deeply flawed. These inquiries are lengthy, expensive, and often ineffective. Lawyers pocket millions in fees, but the bureaucrats and officials responsible for catastrophic failures rarely face real consequences. Stripping someone of an MBE or issuing a critical report does little to deter future misconduct.

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Without the threat of prison sentences or significant financial penalties, there is no incentive for bureaucrats to act with integrity or competence. This seems to be a unique feature in the UK. In the United States for example, accountability is baked into the system in a way that is almost alien to us.

Local district attorneys, who are elected and often harbor political ambitions, are incentivized to pursue high-profile cases. The “perp walk”—parading suspects in handcuffs for the media—is a common sight. Lawsuits against negligent officials and institutions can result in billions of dollars in compensation for victims.

This culture of accountability serves as a powerful deterrent against misconduct.

Had the grooming gang or Post Office scandals occurred in the US, the fallout would have been dramatically different. Police chiefs, social workers, and Post Office executives all would have faced criminal charges, public disgrace and prison time. Victims would have been compensated swiftly and substantially. The system, for all its flaws, would have ensured that justice was done.

In the UK, however, the system is designed to protect its own. Unelected bureaucrats operate in a culture of mutual preservation, ensuring that failures are neither punished nor widely acknowledged. This culture erodes public trust and leaves victims without recourse. It is a system that rewards mediocrity and punishes those who dare to challenge the status quo.

If the UK is to regain the trust of its citizens, it must adopt a more robust approach to accountability. This means criminal prosecutions for gross negligence, substantial financial penalties for institutions that fail in their duties, and systemic reforms to ensure transparency and justice. Without these changes, the UK will remain a country where failure is not just tolerated but rewarded, leaving a trail of victims in its wake.

The child rape scandal dominating UK politics

By Reuters - Kate Holton - January 6, 2025

Musk, a close ally of U.S. President-elect Donald Trump, has called for Prime Minister Keir Starmer to quit over what he said was Starmer's failure to tackle the scandal when he was the country's leading prosecutor, accusing him of being "complicit in the rape of Britain".

Starmer has defended his record as head of the Crown Prosecution Service, saying he tackled the gangs head on.

Below is what is known about the organised sexual abuse of young girls in multiple towns and cities in northern England, Starmer's role in prosecuting the scandal, and the impact it is having on British politics.

WHAT HAPPENED IN THE UK GROOMING GANGS SCANDAL?

A report in 2014 made a conservative estimate that more than 1,400 girls were sexually exploited in the town of Rotherham between 1997 and 2013. Many were already known to local services because they were in care or had been subject to neglect.

It said girls as young as 11 were raped by large numbers of male perpetrators. It said local officials deemed the children to be having consensual sexual intercourse. The report said the majority of known perpetrators were of Pakistani heritage and that in some cases local officials and other agencies had been wary of identifying ethnic origins for fear of upsetting community cohesion, or being seen as racist.An investigation into similar cases in Oldham criticised police and the local council but said they had not discovered a cover up.

WHAT WAS KEIR STARMER'S ROLE?

Starmer was the director of public prosecutions between 2008 and 2013.Starmer said on Monday that he had tackled the issue head on, brought the first major prosecution of a gang accused of grooming and rape, and had the highest number of child sexual abuse casesbeing prosecuted when he left the role.

WHY IS THE SCANDAL BACK IN THE HEADLINES?

Opposition politicians including Conservative leader Kemi Badenoch and Nigel Farage, head of the right-wing Reform Party, have called for a national inquiry after media reports said the government had told Oldham council it should hold its own investigation.

Britain has held numerous investigations into child abuse scandals in different areas of northern England. A broader nationwide public inquiry into child sexual abuse, including within churches and schools, reported in 2022, making a number of recommendations which have not yet been implemented.

Starmer's government, elected in July, said on Monday it was working at pace to implement the recommendations. Musk has amplified the issue. He accused Britain's safeguarding minister Jess Phillips of being a "rape genocide apologist" who should be in jail. He also said Starmer must quit and accused him of failing to prosecute when he ran the Crown Prosecution Service.

Professor Alexis Jay, who led an inquiry into crimes in Rotherham, and the national abuse inquiry, said a new inquiry was not needed and the government should work to implement her previous recommendations.


HOW IS THE SCANDAL, AND MUSK, AFFECTING BRITISH POLITICS?

Musk's near-constant criticism of Starmer and his Labour government has hindered the prime minister as he tries to set the agenda in the new year, following a difficult first six months in power. A speech on efforts to overhaul the health service on Monday was overshadowed by questions about Musk, with Starmer defending his record and attacking those who spread misinformation online.

Starmer has refrained from commenting on Musk's increasingly critical comments of his premiership, not wanting to engage in a public slanging match with someone who could influence Trump's thinking on ties with Britain.

Starmer is not the only British politician in Musk's sights. He had appeared close to the Brexit campaigner Nigel Farage last year, before he said on Sunday that Farage should quit because he does not have what it takes to lead Reform.

The two men had appeared to disagree over British anti-Muslim activist Stephen Yaxley-Lennon, who is known by the pseudonym Tommy Robinson, with Farage saying he disagreed with Musk's backing for Robinson. Robinson is serving a prison sentence for contempt of court.


Reporting by Reuters - Kate Holton/Alison Williams